Saturday, May 21, 2011

Tips and Tricks 1 - Sueding the joints of your dolls (Hot Glue way)

Many people interesting BJD have hear or read about "Sueding" the joints of your dolls. But not everyone knows what that means.


First the items you will need:
1. Low Temp Hot Glue Gun (clean the tip before you start)
2. Hot Glue Sticks
3. Your Doll

Now you have two options to start. If you are familiar with the manner of re-stringing your dolls then you will have the option of taking apart your whole doll and laying out all the body parts in front of you in the same way you would lay them for restringing.

If you do not have the knowledge on how to restring then you can do the method of just simply pulling apart the joint you are currently working on and holding the elastic out of the way. (And if you don't know how to restring I will be doing a tip and trick post on restringing in the future.)

Now that you either have your doll laying in front of you in pieces (make sure you keep each leg, elbow, hand, foot and everything else in the same place that you took it off of).
Or you have your doll in front of you naked and ready to go.

After your hot glue gun is ready to go and warmed up make sure you have the joint you are ready to work with. I personally would start with the hip joint. Being a bigger joint it will be a little easier for beginners. Holding your elastic off to the side OR holding up the cup of the hip joint facing you.

1. Take your hot glue gun and gently squeeze a small amount of glue into the cup joint. DO NOT let the tip of the gun touch the actual joint OR the elastic.

The hip joint being sueded

Better view of sueding



2. Use the tip of the gun to keep that drop of glue warm and spread it in an even coat around half the hip cup.

3. Hot glue dries quickly (YAY!) When the layer of glue is dry and cool to touch you can then move the elastic over that side (Or just start) on the next side of the cup.

4. Again squeeze a small amount of glue in and make sure to get an even coat spreading it with the tip of the gun.

5. Next to make sure the glue suede is working. If the whole glue layer is dried and cooled to touch, you are free to test out your handy work.

6. Either let the hip ball joint back into the cup (letting go of the elastic). Or picking up the leg and fitting the ball back into the joint.

--Does the ball and cup fit together nicely again? Does it look natural (no huge gaps)? Does the glue show through the seams?

If everything seems good to you, then CONGRATS! You have finished your first Glue Suede Joint.

Look at those joints all sueded nicely


Either stand your doll up and pose it beautifully. Or restring your doll and pose it and take those beautiful pictures.

I can stand now!!

If something doesn't sit well, or just seems wrong to you it is an easy fix. Simply pull apart the joint again and peel the hot glue off (no it doesn't hurt your doll) and start again.

Every joint is safe to suede. Even the head and neck joint. The hot glue does not affect the doll in anyway. It isn't something to be scared to do. It is easy to do and it helps the dolls pose.

After much play and movement the glue will wear down, but simply remove the old glue and apply new.

Arms sueded and strung for posing!
AHHH My head is a stick!!

Before the bodies are fixed together again. The chop stick helps to keep the elastic in place for me to grab.

Now sueded Aurora...
I'm naked O_O





Much better my hair hides me well. ^_^



SIDE NOTE: I have not tried this yet, but I have read that a small line of hot glue around the wig line stops those pesky wigs from sliding off your dolls head! Again the glue doesn't harm the doll and is easy enough to peel off.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Hujoo Wings {Closed Eye} - Information and Review (Picture Heavy)

Hujoo is a Korean brand of BJD.
I have also received two of them in the past month. They both came from the lovely website, The Junky Spot.
I am relatively new to this brand of doll, but I have very quickly fell in love with them. I am going to do a review of the dolls and show off some of the photos I have taken.

My Hujoo Wings is named William.

The Hujoo Wings closed eye !! I have the Factory Face-up on this doll !!

Front of Hujoo Wings closed eyes

Back of Hujoo Wings Closed eyes

  • He is made completely of ABS Plastic.
  • He is an elastic strung BJD.
  • My Hujoo Wing's color is WHITE (though they do come in different skin tones)
  • His Height is 26cm
  • His Head girth is 19cm - Fitting a size 7 or 8 wig
  • He fits a size 20mm pair of eyes
  • His Neck girth is 4cm
  • His Chest girth is 10.5cm
  • His Shoulders are 5.5cm wide
  • His Waist girth is 9cm
  • His Hips girth is 10.5cm
  • His feet are size 3.5cm
 My Hujoo Wings is currently wearing a DollZone 44cm wig in Light Blonde, and a pair of Hujoo Animetic 20mm eyes in Silver.

Hujoo Wings sitting with arms behind back and legs out in front of him. He has his silver eyes in and his light blonde wig on. He is wearing a pair of handmade pants.

As with my Hujoo Berry I have no purchased any clothing for my Hujoo Wings. I prefer to make his clothing from hand also. So I cannot honestly say what brands or size clothing fit him the best.

The Hujoo Wings has the same internal eye system that the Hujoo Berry has. The same two rubber holders that attach to the posts inside of the head.

The rubber eye holders

The inside of the Hujoo Wings head. The posts are similar to the posts of a Hujoo Berry. The eye system is held in identical, on the two smaller posts and the two larger posts behind the elastic. But you can see one of the larger posts inside of the Hujoo Wings head actually has a metal post coming up from it. The head also lacks the smaller alignment post at the base of the head that the Hujoo Berry has.



I have found it much easier to install the eyes by putting them into the rubber, then attaching the rubber to the small bottom post then putting the bigger post in. I hold the elastic on another finger while I am installing the eyes.

You can see that the eyes inside my Wings also has the posts to allow me to move the direction he is looking easily.

Posing with the Hujoo Wings is very similar to posing the Hujoo Berry. They are strung very similar. The biggest difference I have noted was where the elastic was tied inside of the doll. On the Berry the knots were above the eye posts. In the Wings I have noticed the knots are inside of his chest area.

The knee joints of the Hujoo Wings are the same as the Hujoo Berry.

The hip joints have the same locking notches as the Berry has.

Here you can see the small locking mechanism inside the hip joint. This allows them to stand easier.

The arm is strung the same as the Hujoo Berry. As you can see the shoulder does actually move (it does on the Berry also.)

Again the elastic is run through the wrist and back up.

The elastic runs down to both legs in the Wings.

Here you can see the actual difference in knotting area of the dolls. The Wigs has all it's knots inside of the chest.

The head still has the elastic going straight into it before it loops on the eye posts.

The back of the head has the same locking notch system as the hips have, allowing the Wings to look up, down, and straight forward without the head moving.

The front of the neck also has the notch locking system.

The Hujoo Wings seems to pose in many of the same ways the Hujoo Berry does. They hold their poses about the same.

Hujoo Wings stands well on his own, while one hand is hooked in the pants and the other is outstretched.

The Wings can also kneel and sit up on it's own.

Where the Wings is actually tilted at the waist joint to look downwards, while his legs are crossed in a meditative position. He sat very well like this without much difficulty.

Standing on his own and using both hands to hold up a rather large item. (The Raven he is holding is named Vivi and is his personal "pet", this was also entered in a contest)

Standing with head tilted upwards slightly while one arm is behind him and the other is reaching upwards.

This position took a while to get him to stay in but eventually it worked. He has one foot flat on the ground the knee bent, and he is sitting on the other knee. He has one hand on the top of the Raven's head and the other under his beak. He is sitting without support.

The Wings is standing without support with the waist joint bent downwards while his arms are crossed in front of him. He also has his head tilted slightly down. (The Rat's name is Umbra, he is one our family pets, he wouldn't let the doll sit on him)

As you can see the Wings doll even holds it's pose while on a moving creature. (This Rat is Okami, our other family pet, and he didn't mind the doll on him)

Laying down both dolls are able to remain posed without issues, you can see the similarity between their joints

Again both dolls kneeling without issues and obviously easily staying posed here as well. Wings is holding the rake with both hands, but it is not supporting him in any manner.

As for the Hujoo dolls, these are the two that I own and can give a personal review about. I think they both are easy to pose and extremely enjoyable.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Hujoo Berry - Information and Review (Picture Heavy)

Hujoo is a Korean brand of BJD.
I have also received two of them in the past month. They both came from the lovely website, The Junky Spot.
I am relatively new to this brand of doll, but I have very quickly fell in love with them. I am going to do a review of the dolls and show off some of the photos I have taken.

My Hujoo Berry is named Iliana (Ilia for short)

The Hujoo Berry. !! I do have the Factory Face-up on this doll !!

The Hujoo Berry (She is wearing her handmade necklace)

The Hujoo Berry back

  • She is made completely of ABS Plastic.
  • She is an elastic strung BJD.
  • My Hujoo Berry's color is APRICOT (though they do come in different skin tones)
  • Her Height is 24cm
  • Her Head girth is 19cm - Fitting a size 7 or 8 wig
  • She fits a size 20mm pair of eyes
  • Her Neck girth is 4cm
  • Her Chest girth is 10.5cm
  • Her shoulders are 4cm wide
  • Her Waist girth is 8cm
  • Her Hips girth is 11cm
  • She feet are size 3.5cm
My particular Hujoo Berry is wearing a short brown Glib size 7-8 wig, and a pair of brown Hujoo Animetic Eye size 20mm.

Hujoo Berry, sitting. She has Hujoo brown animetic eyes and Glib short brown wig.
She is wearing hand made shirt, skirt, and necklace.

I have not personally bought any clothing for my doll, so I am unable to really say which brand clothing fits them well. I hand make all my clothing for them at the moment.

 The Hujoo Berry has an internal "eye system" that holds the eyes in place without the use of eye putty or anything else. The eye fits nicely in the rubber holder. Then the rubber holder slides on two pegs inside the head holding the eyes in nicely. The Hujoo eyes have posts on the back which allow you to adjust to way the eyes are facing without removing them completely.
The Rubber Eye Systems (out of the head)

The eye system installed in the dolls head.


As you have seen the Hujoo Berry can sit very well, she can also pose in many other ways. Her plastic body feels very durable and it seems she is strung well enough to maintain the way I put her. I haven't actually taken her body apart to see exactly how it is strung, but I have pulled each of her joints gentle enough to get photos of her internal structure.
The elastic where it ties off behind the eyes on the posts. One goes to the left leg, and the other to the right leg from what I can tell. The arms are tied in the chest.

You can see how the knee bends in this photo. I love the fact that it bends twice nicely.

On her hip joints the two little "dashes" are what allows her legs to lock into standing pose.

Pulling on the Hujoo Berry arm you can see the two stands going from the shoulder down through the elbow.

The wrist is where the elastic actually wraps and goes back up the arm.

Looking up into the Hujoo Berry's torso. You can see the leg strings going up towards the neck, and the arm elastic going across the shoulder width.

Looking down the torso as the elastic goes into each leg.

Better view of the crossing elastic cords in the Hujoo body.

You can see all the elastic going from the neck into the head.

Another view of the elastic going down into the whole body.

Faintly you can see the notch on her chin area and the slot in her neck area. This is another locking mechanism to allow her to look up or down and keep her facing forward.




Other possible poses the Hujoo Berry holds well are...
Hujoo Berry holding pose of legs bent and one arm up. Balancing nicely in a tree.

Standing without any sort of stand or help.

Leaning to the side while half laying down. She did need some help being propped up slightly but she held the pose quite well.

Kneeling and sitting on her feet. The pose actually holds fine and looks nice.

She can hold the pose of hugging an item. (The names are because I entered this picture in a contest. Iliana {Ilia} is the Hujoo Berry, Momiji is the bunny)

Sitting up without support and holding up an item.

You can see the knee joints are doubled and they bend and hold their pose very nicely. Her arms are also holding nicely bet, while her head is actually looking up and to the left. There really wasn't anything supporting her body in this pose, it held just fine alone.

My next entry will be about the Hujoo Wings. Specifically the closed eye variation (as it is the one I own).